Friday, January 29, 2010

It's SNOWING! !!!! ALOT...MORE TO COME YIPEE...We are in the Carolina's so this is not `snow' country...my family is from the midwest & we are VERY used to snow. I miss it. So I LOVE to pull out all the snow gear. When it snows I wake the family & we gear up & make snowmen & dont miss & snowflake. It make stay only a few hours & a few days...or weeks can't tell in the South but don't want to let any child of mine grow up missing snow. When it's snowing in the Carolina's you can bet you money on finding us up & out in the quiet of the falling snow somewhere in our yard making snow angels, snow men, snowfort....having snowfun......

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

house is sooo cold ?? beloved has been sick for weeks, been to dr 3 Xs been on 3 meds for viral-bactrial,-steroids cough-prednisone....works 8-12 hr days... anyway find out at 3am that either the furnace is out or the thermostat is...he gets up & goes to a 24 hr walmart....cross our fingers...

mean time Choc Chip is running circles around Jolli in the living room? playing ? or cold? I think just messing with Jolli.. Plugging in an electric heater for now..

needed - coffee it just makes themorning workor maybe it makesmy brain work ~~whatever~~this is my LATTE. HEYwhat is Chocolate Chip doin?Scoot... scram..thats mine..STEP back away from the Latte and no one will get hurt..........

Monday, January 25, 2010

Rainy Sunday. I do love a gloomy day every now & then. I feel like nothing is `expected' of me.

I always have my `house' in order, before I go to bed I actually clean & vacuum the floors & stairs & gather laundry & do it if I have a load, make sure tables & counters are all clear & ready to go. Prepare things for the next day medicines & Vitamins for everyone & Chocolate Chips potty box & food, even a special snack area we have set up to keep him occupied via toy & food. I do all this because I am ALWAYS the last to bed AND ... My dad was a fireman~ 18 of his family also police-firemen.I was `trained' that emergencies happen at any time~ and did Dad was called to fires during work~during dinner~during the darkest time of the night. It did not matter what was happening. So I just grew up learning to be prepared. He would come back from the fires & put all his fire gear in the stairs to the basement. It was easy to quick & easy to access. His long heavy fire coat, the big heavy fire helmet with the ID number, the tall rubber boots... . For some reason I got up to hear about the fire. ...I learned ~~ a lot~~always always clean the lint from your clothes dryer....that was the #1 house fire...he would tell me how a dad was lost, how a family lost their house , family pet, how they went back for a family pet & lost their life as the fire trucks pulled up....well I have a life time of fire stories-not for now-BUT they wired me to get my act together: before I go to bed GET MY CHORES DONE. BEFORE I LEAVE MY HOUSE: GET MY CHORES DONE. DON'T PUT OFF TILL TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW !

Well. you get it... so add all this up...a life time of this ....and well I am ready for rainy days in bed. yessssssssssssssssssit is not a BIG deal to shuffle to the kitchen and brew a fresh hot pot of gourmet coffee~~~yummmm....while it brews..let Jolli out for his morning tinkle, scan the house, Chocolate Chip will usually follow me out & nose nudge my ankle, Chip will have a drink & eat & go potty & Jollimon also. Both are set for a bit. Check Chocolate Chips area-to tidy up-tho he never,well 95% of he time he is not in his `area'. He eats & uses his potty boxes & will hide under his shelf if he gets in trouble or every so often he bunny flops and will be found sleeping on his upper shelf or under his shelf...but soooo rarely it is more of a dust bunny catcher. He has soo many `House Bunny' places that he can be found, we even have special quilts in those places for him..

Well back to Rainy Latte in Bed. I think I will surf around for that beautiful material with the roses on white and dream that I know someone that might make me a quilt. ( no one in my family quilts)

HAVE A LOVELY SAFE RAINY DAY

Chocolate Chips area~ check~ check~ok~ get my favorite bunny jumbo coffee mug out fix up a luscious LATTE shuffle back to bed and see whats on tv

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I saw a really great bunny quilt today. `The Bunny Patch' an adorable quilt http://bloomcreek.blogspot.com/ made by Vicki Bellino at Bloom Creek who made it for her friend Anne Sutton http://bunnyhillblog.com/2010/01/23/american-patchwork-vicki-me I LOVE LOVE the rose on white material. I have been surfing all over trying to find it and cant. It says 2 sisters Aviary but thats comes up as as panel. I really want to get the rose material. It is so peaceful. My grandmas mothers name is Rose. Grandma lived next door to me & she grew roses all along her house. When I see that material it just send a signal of `comfort'. I must have it. I know I need to make a quilt with it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

NEED I SAY MORE? this is where I draw my inspiration. Now where I get material is another thing. I saw some yummy material that was my colors and had soft pink & medium pinks with apples in a quilt. I have to go back & find the site. my problem is by the time I see it the material is no longer around or really expensive.

I just love this sitehttp://www.lisaleonardonline.com/Lisa Leonard makes the most adorable...Beautiful jewerly..Go over to her site and take a look. I have Emailed everyone her link. Everyone who knows me knows that I am an a photographer-I do Nature.Outdoors-Animals are my most natural `gift'. I grew up very rural & was outside all the time-I guess I just became `tuned' in to nature & animals. I had a way with these things-all flora & fauna. I read alot as a child & somehow I began drawing & was good at it. I drew what I saw. The Same with a camera, tho I felt a camera was like cheating for the longest time. But I was in a bad auto accident a year ago I I had a bad head injury & along with my arm & neck & back injury-- I see that we dont have to `fight' to make life so hard.....its hard enough. Once in a while we need o allow things to be easy. camera get photos at a moment in time-they same it and we can go back anytime and remember it. Drawings & quilting convey art in different mediums. I Love quilting...You can convey art in many ways & provide comfort. I love it. My grandma had promised to make me a quilt of my favorite comfort colors..(? raspberrys- blues-- yellows --I blended with whites I think.. She lived on the farm up in the North woods, & I was to bring `scraps' .. I was going to have my very own QUILT.... I dreamed about it. A quilt meant LOVE. made by hands. Bound in layers. Made with the colors God created. You pull it over you to Comfort you & warm you & HUG you when maybe no one else can. In the ~quiet~ of the darkness when you are alone in your thoughts...you have a comfort of a hug from a quilt to see your thru till the light appears in either the day or your heart again.....because BOTH will.but until they do ..you have the lovely beauty & comfort of a quilt. AND IF YOU ARE SUPER SUPER LUCKY Your life can be ILLUMINATED with the silky softness of a Lisa Leonard necklace.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

What to Do? Where to start? This Quilt was given to me by my mom when I was a child.

that is it's1st memory. Then the most difficult memory for this quilt-is my 1st child -my son has 1of his only photos taken on this quilt. He died shortly after the photo was taken back in 1978. The quilt was `washed & packed' away by others. They must have used bleach & harsh detergents as the backing had a HUGE white spot on the back. All these years it has been in my linen closet. I take it out & hold it. You know .... & remember what little time he was here. I have taken the quilt to my sewing studios several times. As the years have gone by the cotton has seem to `crumble' in my hands? Hmmmm. so... what to do? After reading every quilting book I own... I feel ready to fix the poor thing. I began by taking out anything that had holes in it.... auugggghhh it was sooo hard... it negan to make sense.. it was the same square-pretty much-so the material must have been not `time worthy' I guess. I will show photos. of where I am at.

Now I am at a place-with the quilt - where I have it apart TOTALLY. -Sorted squares-ironed-starched EVERY PIECE--carefully handled each piece- took the backing off & the batting & binding, I had so many pieces. The backing was pretty much a total loss thru the entire center-auughhh.....after cutting out bad spots-and taking out the bad fabric.... I was reduced to tears and a ziploc bag of starched squares & a couple bins of beautiful BUT cut up QUILT. AUUGHH...this may be several wall hangings? my hands were shaking my scissors will never be the same.

Now, to the fabric store of which there is 1 in my very rural area to purchase so`stabilizer'-this was just days before Christmas. When I attempted to for advice I tried to explain the `story of my quilt' and suddenly tears welled up in my eyes & my throat closed up as I told my story, It was a deary cold day & as I looked up I saw staff in tears-several customers in tears- several staff recounted their personal stories of the loss of children... a large woman ran up to me telling me I had a `flock of Angels' over me & that I will see my child in heaven 1 day & he is being cared for by the Heavenly Father & as suddenly as she appeared she was gone. Hugs by strangers, more tears. The dear woman at the checkout told me how she lost a young child also & in spite of it she has a daughter that she has not heard from in many years...what is more painful she ask? she lost both in a manner in speaking. I understand. This entire time I was barely able to speak due to a lump in my throat-from the 1st time I was asked what I needed-and I babbled about my dear quilt that was falling apart. As I was about to leave the store the woman came around the counter and threw her arms around me & hugged me tightly.I am not sure if the hug was more for me or for her? before I left they asked if I would Please to come back & let them know how the quilt comes out?Yes , My Pleasure.

Hmmm. God finds ways to connect people & to touch & heal Hearts. I have thought about this little shopping trip often. How I was closed up in my winter coat just to pop in to get 1 item & go. I forgot my eye glasses & I could not see so I had to ask for help, (how much I hate to pdat) How that set me up to explain my `quilt story & my son', how in the past 30 years I have not shared my story to many inside or outside the family. Actually, it is something that I just kind of `grieve' with alone on his birthday & the day he died. As the Ladies shared their stories of loss I could see that it does not get easier as time goes by. It just becomes more bearable. We are part of the walking wounded-you can look right at us and never know just how terribly broken our hearts are. But-God gave us an inner strength. God as served me well, He has been at me side always-it has not always been easy, and some 30 years later I can say I am tired..... those who have walked in this path will understand.

I left with my package. Not until later did I actually look and see what I had purchased. I went in to get some type of `stabilizer' & left with a `flock of sewing friends & a memory that will stay with this quilt. oh you know what they never charged me for the tube of stabilizer... just the thread.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I found this darling material in a little shop in nothern Wisconsin when we lived there. It sat on a counter in my sewing studio for quite a while, it kept looking at me-when I began to think I had no creativity....SO I dug around my fabric leftovers for some inspiration, I found pinks & blues in corduroy and medium weight flannels some think solid cottons and bunches of thin cotton tiny flower leftovers. I NEVER knew how to buy material I could sew like a dream but could not figure out most patterns. Go figure. This is made from flannel & the solid is cotton, the backing is a leftover tiny floral cotton. I even had embroidery thread that matched so I could tie each corner. After everything was tied I still need to figure out how to quilt the rest. I am such an amateur. I should have a better plan going in HUH? I never do . I try. I just wade in & figure it out as I go. The bear faces have me stumped? oh well .....it will come to me

This turned out sweet because all our home decor turns out to be in these tones-add pale rose, I thought this could go in the master bedroom or den.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

This a cold winter cabin in the north woods. Hand drawn-hand cut-hand appliqued-hand quilted. I feel better hand cutting individual pieces like this. I tend to not really have a `clear' plan on what I'm doing. I have an idea & most of the material. Then it all flows & somehow finds its way to where it all belongs. Now if you look close, you should be able to find several several`little white bear' cub buttons--look closely-there are 3 sets. In an adorable little quilt shop in Scandinavia Wisc I found the most delightful little cub buttons--look closely-there are 3 sets.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

It's thats time of year, auughh, takinging down all the pretty decorations. Not only is it an unpleasant task, but it simply makes everything seem so dreary. Allow me to explain the Photos below: 1st:itis I, Chocolate Chip gift wrapping having a bit of trouble with scotchtape2nd Main street in our little village leading to the courthouse-all lit up next Again Chocolate Chip with a Christmas card 4 th photo is our house with our 1st and literally only snowfall.last taking down anna's hand made Christmas stockings. All the delicaten hand work that goes into some of the Christmas decoration-we should leave these up all year.-You know? It seems they are out for just a few weeks then poof packed away again......well. . I have a box of them always `in process' cant help myself something magical about Christmas stockings. My mind is always spinning ideas with them....Everyone in the familly has more than 1 or 2...hehehe

So that leaves lights & snow men...OH Well....We will leave them alone for now....As long as it is still winter they are still in style, but I will leave clear lights up for now. They look sweet all year long like stars twinkling in the sky .Besides that, I pledged long ago to leave Snowmen out all year long so I can enjoy them throughout the year. I have a bookcase with 2 wonderful shelves filled with adorable Snowmen all year. During the holidays they get scattered all over, then they slowly make their way back. They are every shape & size. I just adore them. Now & since I was a wee child in my red snow suit out in the snow back in the midwest.have a happy daychocolate chip & anna lee

Monday, January 4, 2010

He is a 13 yr old pure bred Bichon Frise. He is considered the `puppy' here.

When I came home here Jolli & I had some `adjustment' difficulties. I disturb Jollimon--- because I'm a Bunny and I LOVE to RUN VERY FAST and

turn around and twirl & hop & zzzooommm around some more.. & often I have even crashed right into Jolimon...totally accidentally. (bad timing)You can see in the photos we have become beloved brothers now and we love to play and race around the house. (I think I can make tighter & quicker turns)